Department for Transport

Parking: Carers

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing parking concessions for home carers.

Trudy Harrison: Under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, local authorities have the responsibility and powers to manage parking provision in light of local needs. This includes the ability to introduce parking concessions, including for home carers, as they see fit.

Motorcycles: Protective Clothing

Simon Jupp: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the motorcycle industry on encouraging the use of protective equipment to reduce the severity of collision related injury.

Trudy Harrison: As set out in The Motor Cycles (Protective Helmets) Regulations 1998, every person driving or riding a motorcycle on the road must wear a helmet. The Department’s safety helmet assessment and rating programme (SHARP) aims to change riders’ attitudes and habits to helmet safety and in so doing contribute to a reduction in the number of motorcyclists killed and seriously injured on UK roads.The Secretary of State has not had any recent discussions with representatives of the motorcycle industry but the Department routinely engages with them in the development of its policies. There are currently no plans to mandate the wearing of protective clothing for motorcyclists as the Government believes that the use of protective clothing should remain a matter for individual choice, rather than become a legislative requirement.

Railways: CCTV

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to require rail operators to have CCTV on all (a) train carriages and (b) station platforms.

Chris Heaton-Harris: There are no current plans to make CCTV a policy requirement for rail operators.The National Rail Security Programme (NRSP) notes that CCTV should be installed where there is an operational requirement for it, as driven by local needs and circumstances.The NRSP is a comprehensive programme that clearly sets out security standards, how these should be upheld and who is responsible for ensuring the standards are correctly implemented across our trains, stations, freight and operator staff and rail infrastructure including buildings.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Licensing

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether officials in his Department have had discussions with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency on the potential merits of increasing payments offered to GP surgeries for medical information to help ensure that (a) delays are not created when medical evidence is required for the licensing of heavy goods vehicle drivers and (b) costs that have increased as a result of the covid-19 outbreak are met.

Trudy Harrison: Drivers of heavy goods vehicle are required to meet the costs of providing the medical report where it is required when applying for or renewing a driving licence.The amount charged for completing the medical report is a matter for the individual doctor. The British Medical Association (BMA) advises doctors that fees should be reasonable, transparent and justifiable. The BMA also recommends that the fee should be agreed before the examination takes place.Where a driver has a medical condition, further evidence may be required to aid the DVLA’s investigation into whether the driver meets the appropriate health standards for driving larger vehicles. The DVLA pays for the provision of this information from a doctor. Discussions are ongoing between DVLA and BMA on the fees paid for this service.A public consultation was launched on 8 November seeking views on a proposal to change the law to allow a wider pool of medical professionals to provide information. This could potentially remove a burden that currently rests with doctors and will allow GP surgeries and hospital teams greater flexibility to provide information from a wider range of medically qualified staff.

Ferries: Republic of Ireland

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many ferry movements there have been between Welsh ports and the Republic of Ireland in each month of the last three year.

Robert Courts: The Department for Transport does not collect statistics for vessel movements on a monthly basis but publishes annual figures. In addition, these statistics only show overall roll-on, roll-off ferry arrivals at the port, not the specific port of origin.Figures for total vessel arrivals at Welsh ports with a ferry service to the Republic of Ireland in the last three years are available in the table below derived from Maritime Statistics (PORT0602) https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/port-and-domestic-waterborne-freight-statistics-port. Port201820192020Holyhead3,0583,0812,778Fishguard683686624Milford Haven (incorporating Pembroke Dock683681687 Figures for 2021 are not yet available and will be published in Summer 2022.

Ports: Competition

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on competition policy of the major ports on the Clyde and Forth being owned by the operators of larger ports in the Mersey and in Tilbury.

Robert Courts: This Department has not made an assessment of this matter as it is not the competition regulator for the maritime sector. Any evidence of alleged anti-competitive behaviour can be reported to the Competition and Markets Authority.

Electric Vehicles: Rural Areas

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of weighting plug-in vehicle grants towards rural postcodes.

Trudy Harrison: Government grants have been available since 2010 to incentivise more people to make the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) – so far nearly £1.5 billion has been invested, supporting the purchase of over 410,000 vehicles. The grants are offered at the point of sale across the UK on all eligible vehicles and are factored into the advertised price. We have not made an assessment of the merits of weighting plug-in vehicle grants towards rural areas. Doing this could increase the complexity of the scheme and increase the risk of fraud.Government has recently committed an additional £620m to support the transition to electric vehicles in addition to the £582m committed for the Plug in Vehicle Grant schemes at Spending Review 2020. This additional funding will be focused on supporting the rollout of charging infrastructure and targeted plug-in vehicle grants. The Government also offers generous tax incentives including favourable company car tax rates for EVs. These rates have been a strong driver of sales and are confirmed until FY24/25. Local areas can also put in their own measures to encourage EV ownership, such as reduced rates for residential parking permits.

Department for Transport: Stonewall

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding his Department has allocated to Stonewall in each of the last five years; and for what projects.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department for Transport, including its Executive Agencies (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Vehicle Certification Agency, and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency), has allocated the following funding to Stonewall in the last five years:  £3,090 excluding VAT – Membership (from October 2016 to October 2017) and conference participation, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, 2016/2017£7,863.01 excluding VAT – Membership for the Department including Executive Agencies except Maritime and Coastguard Agency, 2016/2017£10,000 excluding VAT – Membership for the Department including Executive Agencies, 2018£468 excluding VAT - Programme provided by Stonewall Cymru, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, 2018/2019£5,250 excluding VAT - Stonewall In-house Allies Programme, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, 2018/2019£10,000 excluding VAT – Membership for the Department including Executive Agencies, 2019£180 excluding VAT – Networking event, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, 2019/2020£500 excluding VAT – Programme provided by Stonewall Cymru, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, 2019/2020£10,000 excluding VAT – Membership for the Department including Executive Agencies, 2020£5,450 excluding VAT - Seven (online) training sessions, accessible to staff of Department for Transport Core, 2020The Department has no plans currently to renew its Stonewall membership.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Fossil Fuels: Climate Change

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of tightening the definition of what counts as a new fossil fuel extraction project for the purposes of ensuring the effectiveness of the Government's climate compatibility checkpoint.

Greg Hands: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Electric Vehicles: Renewable Energy

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the additional renewable electricity generating capacity required to support the estimated number of electric vehicles in (a) 2025, (b) 2030 and (c) 2035.

Greg Hands: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Toys: Internet

Sarah Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen consumers’ rights to enable consumers to bring private law actions against online marketplaces for toys purchased via their platforms.

Paul Scully: There is already robust legislation in place that protects consumers when purchasing goods and services online. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 sets out the rights consumers enjoy while shopping online and in store.  There are already routes of redress for harm suffered as a result of illegal and/or unsafe toys purchased via an online marketplace. For instance, where a defective product causes damage or injury, the producer or importer of the product is legally liable and may be required to pay damages under Part 1 of the Consumer Protection Act 1987.

Ports: Scotland

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has been made of the effect on competition policy of port operators in Scotland being subsidiaries of larger port companies in England.

Paul Scully: Under competition law, responsibility for investigating individual and market-wide competition issues falls to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s independent competition authority. The CMA, which works independently from BEIS, has discretion to investigate competition cases which it considers most appropriate according to its prioritisation principles. Concerns about a market and evidence that features of a market may prevent, restrict or distort competition in UK markets can be submitted to the CMA via the following page: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tell-the-cma-about-a-competition-or-market-problem.

Toys and Games: Internet

Sarah Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to provide consumers with clearly defined routes of redress for harm suffered as a result of illegal and/or unsafe toys purchased via an online marketplace.

Paul Scully: All toys placed on the UK market, including those sold online, must meet essential safety requirements under the UK Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011 and there are criminal sanctions for non-compliance. There are already routes of redress for harm suffered as a result of illegal and/or unsafe toys purchased via an online marketplace. For instance, where a defective product causes damage or injury, the producer or importer of the product is legally liable and may be required to pay damages under Part 1 of the Consumer Protection Act 1987. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA) also provides rights and protections when a consumer buys goods or services. Under the CRA, goods sold by traders must be as described, of a satisfactory quality, and fit for a particular purpose if that purpose was made known to the trader by the consumer before the contract was made. If the goods do not meet these standards, the consumer is entitled to ask for a repair, replacement, or a full refund depending on the circumstance. The consumer can pursue a claim for breach of contract against the trader they bought the goods from in the courts.

Toys and Games: Manufacturing Industries

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to prevent unregulated third-party toy sellers who are based overseas from undercutting British toy manufacturers.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that parents who purchase unsafe toys through an online marketplaces can seek compensation in the event of their child coming to harm.

Paul Scully: All toys placed on the UK market, including those sold online, must meet essential safety requirements under the UK Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011 and there are criminal sanctions for non-compliance. Where non-compliant products, including toys, are being sold online by third party sellers the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is taking action. This includes using data and intelligence to target the supply routes, and disrupt the sale, of unsafe products sold by third-party sellers online as well as acting to remove listings. As a result, OPSS has helped take down more than 10,000 unsafe products, including toys, from online marketplaces in 2021. OPSS is also raising public awareness of the risks of buying online from third-party sellers who are based overseas. An Important Product Safety Message to consumers, encouraging them to check who they are buying from when using online marketplaces, was published on 10th November and OPSS is running a Christmas Toys product safety information campaign.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Stonewall

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2021 to Question 61054 on Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Stonewall, for what reason that Answer did not include the £1,295 +VAT paid by his Department for staff attendance at Stonewall Leadership Programme in 2020 as per an FOI response in April 2021, reference FOI2021/04447; and whether other funding by his Department to Stonewall was omitted in that Answer.

George Freeman: The additional spend was omitted due to a drafting error. In the 2017-2018 financial year, an additional £200 + VAT was paid for one ticket to the Stonewall Workplace Conference on 22 September 2017. In the 2018-2019 financial year, an additional £1,495 + VAT was paid for five tickets to the Stonewall Workplace Conference on 27 April 2018. In the 2020-2021 financial year, £1,295 + VAT was paid for a staff member to attend the Stonewall Leadership Programme.

Mathematics: Investment

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the press release of 27 January 2020, if he will publish details of (a) the actual expenditure of the £300 million investment in mathematical sciences as of 9 November 2021 and (b) his (i) plans for how the remaining funds will be spent and (ii) timetable for that expenditure.

George Freeman: The UK is a world leader in Mathematics. British mathematicians publish a large volume of highly regarded work. When compared to international colleagues, British mathematicians have the 5th largest share of publications in the world. When looking at the top 1% of most cited publications, UK mathematicians are responsible for the third largest share.Between Financial Year 2015-2016 and September 2021, EPSRC committed £259.9m to research grants Mathematical Sciences. This includes commitment from the Additional Funding Programme. At this current time, EPSRC are unable to make a direct comparison to international averages.Following the Government’s announcement in January 2020 to invest additional funding into Mathematical Sciences, UKRI has awarded around £104 million of additional funding to the discipline, over and above EPSRC’s core Mathematical Sciences Theme budget. The additional funding has covered institutes, small and large research grants, fellowships, doctoral studentships and postdoctoral awards.On the 27 October 2021, the Government announced the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review. BEIS and UKRI will now set out how we meet the commitment to invest additional funding into Mathematical sciences in forthcoming years, as part of the allocations process.

Research: Coronavirus

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what data he has collected on the impact of covid-19 on the UK’s research workforce; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the Government's national R&D investment target of reduced charity-funded research as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

George Freeman: The UK’s research workforce has been at the forefront of global efforts to combat the pandemic and understanding its impact on our lives and livelihoods. Vitae has undertaken two surveys of researchers, published in October 2020 and June 2021, to understand the impacts of Covid-19 pandemic. The survey results are available on www.vitae.ac.uk. We recognise the important role that charities play as funders of R&D. That is why the Government announced £20 million funding in 2021/22 to help develop a pipeline of early career researchers and support the life-saving work of medical research charities. This is in addition to other support, including £204m of Charity Research Support as part of Research England’s Quality Related research funding. We look forward to the charity sector continuing to play an important role in driving R&D in the UK as the economy recovers. The Autumn 2021 Spending Review announced record-breaking investment in the UK’s world leading research base, increasing by £5bn to £20bn per annum by 2024/25 in line with the target of UK economy-wide R&D investment reaching 2.4% of GDP by 2027.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the £43,379,999 for the sharing of 100 million doses of covid-19 vaccines with countries in need, published in his Department's Development Tracker, what the cost of purchasing those 100 million doses was to the public purse.

George Freeman: My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister, at the G7 Summit in June, committed to donate 100m doses that we do not need for the UK vaccination programme. The cost of these doses will depend on both the specific vaccines donated and their cost. The cost of COVID-19 vaccine donations will be funded through UK Official Development Assistance and will be reported as such. We are not able to disclose specific costs of individual vaccines procured to date, as details of contracts between the Government and vaccine manufacturers are commercially sensitive.

Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government is taking steps to support Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme lenders to provide borrowers with more time to make their repayments where they assess that borrowers (a) are in difficulty and (b) would benefit from such an extension.

Paul Scully: The Government has taken action to allow lenders to extend the term of Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) facilities up to a maximum of ten years where they assess that borrowers are in difficulty and will benefit from the extension.

Parents: Compassionate Leave

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to help ensure that (a) women and (b) men receive adequate support from their workplace when experiencing the loss of a child.

Paul Scully: The Government recognises that the death of a child is a tragic event. In April 2020 we introduced a new statutory entitlement to Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay for parents who lose a child under the age of 18. By making this change in the law, the Government is sending an important signal to employers that the issue of bereavement in the workplace should be acknowledged, and that we expect them to respond to such circumstances in a sensitive and compassionate manner. The policy establishes a statutory baseline for employers when managing parental bereavement in the workplace.

Tidal Power: Expenditure

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much public funding has his Department allocated to the development of tidal stream technology in each year since 2010.

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much public funding has his Department allocated to the development of wave electricity generation in each year since 2010.

Greg Hands: The table below sets out the level of state support for research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) received by tidal and wave energy technologies in each year since 2010. These figures do not include the sizeable revenue support provided by schemes such as the Renewables Obligation.   UK Government(s) Total Research, Development and Demonstration Spend   YEAR201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021 Tidal energy specific......£2m£2.9m£1.5m£1.3m£900k..£2m£3.3m..Wave energy specific......£4.5m£4m£8.7m£650k£450k£8.5m£11.5m£8.3m..

Department of Health and Social Care

Wound Dressings

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has carried out any research on the effect on (a) patient outcomes, (b) healing rates and (c) quality of life of the reduced choice of wound care products available via NHS Supply Chain.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Wound Dressings

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the specifications used to procure wound care products are devised; who is responsible for devising those specifications; and how patient outcomes and quality of life impacts are considered as part of that process.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dental Services

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) financial and (b) other steps his Department is taking to increase access to NHS dentistry in (i) Coventry, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) England.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Travel: Coronavirus

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2021 to Question 56581 on Travel: Coronavirus, when he plans to allow fully vaccinated children aged over 12 years old to acquire NHS Covid Passes to demonstrate their vaccination status for the purposes of travel.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cancer: Health Services

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the size of the cancer backlog in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England; and what (i) planning and (ii) funding his Department is providing to tackle the cancer backlog in those areas.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department is taking to ensure that (a) people with poorly controlled asthma are invited to receive their covid-19 booster jabs on time and (b) the evidence for changes to the vaccine prioritisation list are clearly communicated to asthma sufferers.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Long Covid: Health Services

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients with Long Covid have waited longer than 18 weeks for referral to the Post Covid Assessment Service in (a) England, (b) each region of England and (c) each NHS Trust.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Long Covid: Health Services

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the waiting time for treatment for people diagnosed with Long Covid in (a) England, (b) each region and (c) each NHS Trust in each of the last 12 months for which data is available.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Oral Tobacco: Health Hazards

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress has been made on Committee on Toxicity’s review of the toxicological risks associated with oral nicotine pouches; and what the planned timetable is for completion of that review.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the explanation that the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation gave him for changing their advice on eligibility for the covid-19 booster vaccination between their interim advice of 30 June 2021 and updated advice of 14 September 2021.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Long Covid: Health Services

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Long Covid referrals were made in (a) England, (b) each region and (c) each NHS Trust in each of the last 12 months for which data is available.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Healthy Start Scheme

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason a healthy start card can only be used for the purchase of milk, fruit, vegetables, pulses and infant formula as outlined on the NHS Healthy Start website.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Smoking: Health Hazards

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2021 to question 61122 on WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and with reference to the 2017 conclusion of the Independent Committee on Toxicity that heated tobacco may be less harmful than conventional cigarettes, whether he has commissioned or plans to commission further research on the health impacts of heated tobacco products.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Travel: Coronavirus

James Sunderland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of providing those under 16 with an NHS Covid Pass to evidence their vaccination status for travel overseas.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ivermectin

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential therapeutic applications of Ivermectin as a protease inhibitor.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to lay regulations to rescind Schedules 21 and 22 of the Coronavirus Act 2020.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Travel Restrictions: Coronavirus

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure people travelling to countries, such as Israel, which require proof of three Covid-19 vaccination doses can provide appropriate certification to gain entry to those countries.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

National Institute for Health Research: Expenditure

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much and what proportion of the £1 billion a year granted by the National Institute for Health Research for research is spent solely on non-animal methodologies.

Maria Caulfield: The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The NIHR’s funding is focused on translational, clinical and applied health and care research and work involving animals or animal testing is not within the NIHR’s remit.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to progress the delivery of HPV vaccination, following the Minister's response to HC Deb, 25 March 2021, who stated that missed school aged vaccinations would be delivered no later than August 2021.

Maria Caulfield: The closure of schools from 23 March 2020 interrupted the delivery of school-aged immunisation programmes, including human papillomavirus (HPV). NHS England and its commissioned school aged providers continue to implement the advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation regarding HPV vaccinations. The National Health Service is therefore prioritising the first dose of HPV vaccine for all those eligible whilst working to recover those school aged immunisations which have been previously missed. The Department and NHS England are working closely with the Department for Education to ensure that schools facilitate the continuation of vaccinations and improving uptake rates for school-aged vaccinations.Providers are currently focussed on delivering the flu vaccine in schools, as is usual for this time of year, as well as the COVID-19 and expanded flu immunisation programme. School providers will recommence work on routine and outstanding vaccinations in the new year.

Ophthalmology: Scotland

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to support Scotland to become a leader in eye health research.

Maria Caulfield: Health research is a devolved responsibility. However, through the National Institute for Health Research, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland work together on a range of research topics and the devolved administrations co-fund several research programmes.

Dental Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on reviewing the dental contract.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to bring forward a new dental contract.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England and NHS Improvement are developing proposals for dental system reform, working closely with the Department and key stakeholders. Meetings of the Technical and Advisory Groups have been held, alongside a number of focus groups to inform the process.However, any proposed contractual changes must be negotiated with the British Dental Association and may involve legislative changes in due course.

Ophthalmic Services: National Clinical Directors

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to work with NHS England to appoint a National Clinical Director for Eye Care, and formulate the responsibilities held in this role.

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with NHS England on the appointment of a National Clinical Director for Eye Care.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England and NHS Improvement are currently developing a role description for a National Clinical Director for Eye Care to support recovery and provide clinical leadership to NHS England’s work to transform eye care services. A national recruitment process will be launched in due course.

Hospices: Finance

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase funding for hospices.

Gillian Keegan: As part of the Government’s COVID-19 response, £257 million was made available to the independent hospice sector to increase discharge capacity and alleviate pressures on the acute sector. Independent hospices have since returned to business as usual funding arrangements, with their services commissioned locally by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). NHS England and NHS Improvement expect CCGs to ensure that the provision of these services effectively meets the needs of the local population and ensures high quality personalised care.The NHS Long Term Plan also states that NHS England is increasing its contribution to the national children’s hospice grant by match-funding CCGs who commit to increase their investment in local children’s palliative and end of life care services, including children’s hospices. This will provide £25 million a year by 2023/24.

Dementia

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 25 March 2021 to Question 171711 on Dementia: Research, when the Government plans to bring forward proposals for a new dementia strategy.

Gillian Keegan: We are currently working with stakeholders and have established task and finish groups to develop the strategy. We expect this work to conclude in the coming months and we will set out our plans on dementia for England in the first half of 2022.

Styal Prison: Pregnancy

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many pregnant women tested positive for covid-19 at HMP Styal in the last two years.

Gillian Keegan: The information requested is not available in the format requested.

Mental Health Services: Health and Social Care Levy

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of funding raised through the Health and Social Care Levy that will be allocated to mental health services in (a) London and (b) England.

Gillian Keegan: The Spending Review 2021 confirmed National Health Service budgets, including the contribution from the health and social care levy. Funding allocations, including provision to different service areas and regions in England, will be announced in due course.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what mental health drop-in-support is available on a self-referral basis for people aged 11 to 25 in England who do not meet the threshold for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

Gillian Keegan: There is a range of support available for mental health and wellbeing for children and young people across the National Health Service, local authorities, education and the voluntary and independent sector. The extent of drop-in support on a self-referral basis is a matter for local commissioners across those sectors. Some local areas may commission digital services as part of their children and young people mental health pathway. This may include alternative forms of provision for those in crisis, such as sanctuaries, safe havens and crisis cafes which can provide a more suitable alternative to accident and emergency departments. Subject to local commissioning arrangements, this may include 'digital drop ins' as part of their service.We have also established local 24 hours a day, seven days a week NHS urgent mental health lines to provide help, advice and support, including for children and young people.

Medical Equipment: Finance

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to increase the funding available under the Medtech Funding Mandate to ensure that all innovative, cost saving NICE recommended medical devices are made available to patients in line with the NHS Constitution.

Edward Argar: In parallel with the MedTech Funding Mandate, the Department is considering and engaging with industry on a range of approaches to tackle the underlying causes of the lack of adoption. This will be addressed as part of a MedTech strategy which we expect to publish in the first half of 2022. This strategy will consider the role that initiatives such as the MedTech Funding Mandate can play, as well as complimentary solutions.

Members: Correspondence

Robert Largan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he will respond to the letter from the hon. Member for High Peak dated 16 September 2021, reference RL22986.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. Member on 15 November 2021.

Radiology: Recruitment

Sarah Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the radiology and oncology workforce.

Edward Argar: The Spending Review in 2020 provided £260 million to continue to increase the National Health Service workforce and support commitments made in the NHS Long Term Plan. This included £52 million in 2021/22 for Health Education England to further invest in the cancer and diagnostics workforce and expanding the postgraduate medical training of key cancer-related medical professions, such as clinical radiologists and oncologists. Following the outcome of the recent Spending Review, spending plans for individual budgets for 2022/23 to 2024/25, including for the radiology and oncology workforce, will be subject to a detailed financial planning exercise and finalised in due course.

Bone Diseases: Screening

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will commit to (a) developing a national bone denisity and osteoporosis screening service and (b) assessing the potential merits of piloting such a service as part of integrated care systems.

Maria Caulfield: Recommendations for screening programmes are made by the United Kingdom National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent advisory committee. Recommendations on whether to screen for a particular condition are taken following a rigorous review process and based on the best evidence available.The UK NSC has considered screening postmenopausal women for osteoporosis previously, but did not recommend a screening programme. The UK NSC will review the evidence in 2022/23.

General Practitioners

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help GP surgeries meet demand for appointments.

Maria Caulfield: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 4 November 2021 to Question 67228.

Long Covid: Clinics

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the Long Covid clinics that are operating in England.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England and NHS Improvement have published a list of post-COVID assessment services for patients in England, which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/post-covid-syndrome-long-covid/

Long Covid

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of people with Long Covid in England.

Maria Caulfield: The Department uses estimates provided by the Office for National Statistics which states that as of 2 October 2021, 1,036,000 people living in private households in England were experiencing self-reported symptoms for more than four weeks and 731,000 people for at least 12 weeks.

Physician Associates: Regulation

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to regulate physician associates; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Argar: The Government expects to consult on a draft statutory instrument that will bring the physician associate roles into statutory regulation next year. Statutory regulation of physician associates will begin no earlier than the summer of 2023.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what is his assessment of the impact of the covid-19 (a) outbreak  and (b) vaccine rollout on the delivery of HPV vaccines in schools for 2021-22.

Maria Caulfield: Routine childhood immunisation programmes continued to be delivered in primary care during the early stages of the pandemic. However, the closure of schools from 23 March 2020 disrupted the delivery of all school-aged immunisation programmes, including human papillomavirus (HPV).Providers have adopted a flexible and transformative delivery model to address this and ensure that those who are eligible can receive their vaccinations. This includes prioritisation of immunisations based on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s advice, digitalising consent processes and utilising a range of alternative community settings to deliver vaccines where appropriate. The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England are working with the Department for Education to ensure that schools facilitate the continuation of vaccinations and improve uptake rates.Providers are currently focussed on delivering the flu vaccine in schools as well as the COVID-19 vaccine. The prioritisation of the flu vaccine is usual for this time of year and school providers will recommence work on routine vaccinations and those outstanding in the new year.

Wales Office

Nuclear Power: Wales

Bob Blackman: What assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing energy generation through nuclear power in Wales.

Simon Hart: The Government’s recently published Net Zero Strategy is clear that nuclear is an important part of our plans to achieve net zero. Wylfa is one of the best sites for large and small-scale projects in the world and we will continue to work with industry to exploit the opportunities for nuclear power in Wales.

Department for Education

Schools: Staff

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) teachers and (b) other school staff have been absent from working in schools in each month since January 2020.

Mr Robin Walker: The daily education setting (EdSet) survey asks schools and colleges to report data such as on-site attendance and COVID-19 absence.From 12 October 2020, the survey of educational settings asked schools and colleges for information on the absence of teachers and school leaders, and teaching assistants and other staff, who were unable to work on-site. This data is not available prior to 12 October 2020.Data is available from 12 October 2020 to 21 October 2021, see table 1d (excluding holidays) and table 1a (schools not on holiday during half term and Easter) in https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/2021-week-44.Information on the number and rates of teacher sickness absence are published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication at the following link: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.To reduce burdens on schools during the COVID-19 outbreak, the return of absence data for the 2019/20 academic year was not required in the ongoing 2020 School Workforce Census. Schools will not be asked to submit 2020 census absence data retrospectively in future censuses.

Special Educational Needs: Public Expenditure

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Autumn Spending Review 2021, what steps his Department is taking to measure how effective the Government's spending plans are in tackling the backlog in new Education, Health and Care Plan assessments.

Will Quince: The government is committed to having clear oversight of local areas’ performance on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). We work closely with Ofsted, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and our delivery partners to support and, where appropriate, challenge those local areas at risk of, or who are, underperforming.We are still looking at the Autumn Spending Review settlement and working across the department to ensure that it does have a measurable impact in reducing backlogs in Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) assessments.However, we currently support local authorities to meet their statutory duties for SEND, including challenging those local authorities where there are long-standing backlogs in EHCP assessments. As part of this support, we deliver a training programme to local authorities, health, and social care staff on their statutory duties, as well as funding projects to support children with SEND. This in turn supports improved practice so that local authorities are able to address backlogs more effectively.Additionally, this year, local authorities have access to £51.3 billion to deliver their core services, including SEND services. Local authorities have the flexibility to spend according to local needs and priorities, including to undertake Education, Health and Care needs assessments.Also, educational psychologists have a statutory duty to assess the needs of individual children and young people for EHCPs. We provide funding to train cohorts of educational psychologists. Since 2020, the number of trainees has increased from 160 to over 200 per year.

Higher Education: Finance

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues in the Department for Education on the potential effect of (a) tuition fees and (b) student loans on regional education outcomes.

Michelle Donelan: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and I regularly engage with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues.

Department for Education: Local Government Finance

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2021 to Question 56778 on Local Government Finance, if he will publish details of only those funds that his Department allocates to local authorities through a process of competitive bidding.

Michelle Donelan: The department is still collating 2020-21 grant award data. We expect the collation and accuracy and completeness checks to be concluded in the new year. It is at this stage that the department would be able to provide the analysis requested. The 2020-21 grant scheme and award data is due to be published by Cabinet Office in March 2022.

Children: Day Care

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the financial viability of extending the allocation of 30 hours free childcare beyond the children of working parents and to children on Early Years Pupil Premium.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues in the Department for Levelling Up, Communities and Housing on the potential impact of extending the allocation of 30 hours free childcare for children of working parents to children on Early Years Pupil Premium on regional inequality.

Will Quince: 30 hours free childcare aims to help working parents with three and four year olds with the costs of childcare, helping them to take up paid work or take on additional hours. To be eligible, parents must earn the equivalent of 16 hours a week at national minimum wage and less than £100,000 per year. The government currently has no plans to extend this scheme to those children in receipt of Early Years Pupil Premium, who would not already qualify for 30 hours free childcare.The Early Years Pupil Premium gives providers additional funding to disadvantaged three and four year olds pupils, if the child receives the universal 15 hours entitlement and they meet the eligibility criteria. Further information on eligibility for the Early Years Pupil Premium can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/get-extra-early-years-funding. Whilst most children in receipt of Early Years Pupil Premium are unlikely to be eligible for 30 hours free childcare, the government provides a range of childcare support for parents on a low income across the country. In England, all three and four year olds, and some disadvantaged two year olds, are eligible for 15 hours of free education for 38 weeks per year, regardless of parental income or employment status. This entitlement helps children to develop social skills and prepares them for school and is distributed at a local level through local authorities. Further help is available to working parents on a low income through Universal Credit, where up to 85% of childcare costs can be reimbursed, up to a maximum of £646 for one child or £1108 per month for two or more children and is available across the UK. Parents in England who receive help with their childcare costs through Universal Credit can claim this in addition to the free early education entitlements offered by the Department for Education.

Education: Standards

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) quantitative and (b) qualitative research his Department has commissioned on the reasons for lower levels of average educational attainment in the different regions and counties of England.

Mr Robin Walker: The department’s research and commissioned research are published on GOV.UK. A selection of the research focussed on regional attainment disparities are provided below. These research reports focus on early years, learning loss and the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, opportunity areas, and the London effect.Regional differences in attainment in the early years: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regional-differences-in-attainment-in-the-early-yearsEducation Policy Institute (EPI) research for the Department for Education on pupil learning loss: https://epi.org.uk/publications-and-research/department-for-education-publishes-new-epi-research-on-pupil-learning-loss/Understanding progress in the 2020/21 academic year: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1029841/Understanding_progress_in_the_2020-21_academic_year_Report_4_October2021.pdfOpportunity areas: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-mobility-and-opportunity-areasResearch and analysis overview: Examining the London advantage in attainment: evidence from Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/examining-the-london-advantage-in-attainment-evidence-from-lsypeStatistics on the attainment of children at each stage are published on Explore Education Statistics by region and local authority: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics

Primary Education: Teachers

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) steps his Department is taking and (b) incentives his Department is offering to help increase the proportion of male teachers in primary education.

Mr Robin Walker: Schools should reflect society and the communities they serve, and it is important to attract and retain high-skilled, talented men into teaching.The department does this through effective pay structures and by ensuring teaching remains a financially rewarding career. We remain committed to increasing teacher starting salaries to £30,000 to make teaching an attractive graduate option. While the pay restraint in academic year 2021/22 means we are now delivering this commitment to a revised timescale, the 5.5% uplift to starting pay in September 2020 has already made a substantial difference to the competitiveness of the early career pay offer.The department’s ‘Teaching – Every Lesson Shapes A Life’ recruitment campaign is targeted at audiences of students, recent graduates and potential career changers regardless of gender, and we take every effort to ensure that our advertising is fully reflective of this across the full range of marketing materials we use.In October, Apply for Teacher Training (Apply), our new application service for initial teacher training (ITT) in England, was rolled out nationally. Apply has been designed to be user-friendly and has been extensively tested with a diverse range of potential applicants, including men, to ensure it helps remove barriers to great teachers applying for ITT courses. Apply will also allow us to collect more data, giving us greater insight into candidate behaviour and the behaviour of providers of teacher training so that the department can identify barriers and work closely with ITT providers to explore, design and test new interventions to recruit more candidates from under-represented backgrounds into the sector.Alongside a focus on recruitment, it is important we retain male teachers. This will be supported by our work to ensure that all new entrants to teacher training have the best possible start to the early stage of their career, regardless of gender.World-class programmes developed by the Department for Education to support the school workforce, including our Early Career Framework (ECF) reforms for those at the beginning of careers and National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) to develop our best teaching and leadership talent, is the best training for everyone whatever their background. The ECF reforms provide a funded entitlement for all early career teachers in England to access high quality professional development at the start of their careers. NPQs are now freely available to all teachers in state-funded schools, as well as state-funded 16-19 organisations.

Financial Services: Primary Education

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the provision of financial education at a primary level; and if he will make a statement on Talk Money week.

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in the context of Talk Money week, what plans he has to promote discussions on money in primary schools; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robin Walker: Education on financial matters helps to ensure that young people are prepared to manage their money well, make sound financial decisions and know where to seek further information when needed.The department has introduced a rigorous mathematics curriculum, which provides young people with the knowledge and financial skills to make important financial decisions. In the primary mathematics curriculum, there is a strong emphasis on the essential arithmetic knowledge that pupils should be taught. This knowledge is vital, as a strong grasp of numeracy and numbers will underpin pupils’ ability to manage budgets and money, including, for example, using percentages. There is also some more specific content about financial education, such as calculations with money.In 2014, financial literacy was made statutory within the national curriculum as part of the citizenship curriculum for 11 to 16 year-olds. To enable schools to plan their whole curriculum, we also published a non-statutory citizenship curriculum for key stage 1 and key stage 2. This curriculum is clear that, by the end of primary education, pupils should be taught how to look after their money and realise that future wants and needs may be met through saving.Primary schools are free to include additional content on financial management in their curricula, including working with external experts. However, the department does not monitor this and trusts schools to use their professional judgement and understanding of their pupils to develop the right teaching approach for their particular context.The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) published financial education guidance for primary and secondary schools in England on 11 November 2021, during Talk Money week. Further information on this can be found at: https://maps.org.uk/2021/11/11/financial-education-guidance-for-primary-and-secondary-schools-in-england/.The department provided a supportive foreword for the guidance, which is aimed at encouraging conversations about money in the classroom by setting out ten steps schools can take to boost the delivery of financial education. The guidance was developed in consultation with financial education experts and is designed to support school leaders and education decision makers to enhance the financial education currently delivered in their schools to make it memorable and impactful. The department supported MaPS with their communications activities during Talk Money week and is looking for future appropriate opportunities to promote the guidance.The department will continue to work closely with the MaPS and other organisations such as Her Majesty's Treasury, to consider learning from other sector initiatives and whether there is scope to provide further support for the teaching of financial education in schools.

Supply Teachers

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) national total and (b) average per school cost was of using supply teachers in the financial years (i) 2018-19, (ii) 2019-20, (iii) 2020-21 and (iv) 2021-22 to November 2021.

Mr Robin Walker: The requested information for all available years is shown in the attached table. Information for local authority maintained schools was sourced from consistent financial reporting. The latest year for which this is available is the 2019-20 financial year, and is available as part of the publication, Local Authority and School Expenditure, available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/la-and-school-expenditure/2019-20. Information is also available at school level on the Financial Benchmarking website available here: https://schools-financial-benchmarking.service.gov.uk/. Information for the 2020-21 financial year will be published in December 2021. Information for the 2021-22 financial year will be collected in summer 2022. Information on academies was sourced from academy accounts returns. Information for both school level and central expenditure by multi academy trusts is published on the Financial Benchmarking available here: https://schools-financial-benchmarking.service.gov.uk/. The latest available information is for the 2019-20 academic year. Information for the 2020-21 academic year will be available in early spring 2022. Information for the 2021-22 academic year will be collected in autumn 2022.73985_table (xlsx, 30.3KB)

Educational Institutions: Energy

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the additional energy costs that educational establishments are facing this winter; and what additional funding his Department is planning to make available to educational establishments to cover any potential additional costs.

Mr Robin Walker: The department recognises that educational establishments may be facing pressures this winter, including where energy prices have increased. Educational establishments, including schools, higher and further education institutions, are autonomous institutions. They are therefore responsible for estimating and meeting their own energy costs. Schools have the flexibility to make their own decisions on how to prioritise their spending to invest in a range of resources that will best support their staff and pupils. The 2021 Spending Review secured an additional £4.7 billion in the core school budget by the 2024-25 financial year compared to previous plans. This means the core schools budget will see a real terms per pupil increase in each of the next three years The £4.7 billion investment includes a further £1.6 billion in the 2022-23 financial year, on top of the year on year increase already announced as part of the 2019 spending round. This additional funding will help the school sector respond to the pressures the department knows they are facing, for example on energy costs and Health and Social Care Levy from April 2022. We will make announcements on the breakdown of the 2023-24 and 2024-25 core school budget in due course, as well as the distribution of the additional £1.6 billion of funding confirmed for 2022-23. At the 2021 Spending Review the department announced an investment of £3.8 billion more in further education and skills over the Parliament as a whole, to ensure people can access high-quality training and education that leads to good jobs, addresses skills gaps, boosts productivity and supports levelling up. This includes an extra £1.6 billion per year for 16-19 education in financial year 2024-25 compared with 2021-22. This will fully fund the additional students the department anticipates in the system, pay for the increasing take-up of T Levels, maintain funding per student in real terms, and enable increased time in education for all 16 to 19 year olds. We will set out details of how this additional funding will be allocated in due course.

Schools: Finance

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that schools in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England do not have to reduce funding to learning to manage ongoing costs relating to the outbreak of covid-19.

Mr Robin Walker: Teachers, school leaders, and pupils have made a huge contribution to the nation’s efforts to respond to the challenges arising from the COVID-19 outbreak, and the department is very grateful for their continued hard work. Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, we have ensured that all schools continued to receive their core funding as normal, regardless of any periods of reduced attendance. The department recognises that some schools may be facing pressures this winter. In Spending Review 2021, we announced we are continuing to deliver year on year, real terms per pupil increases to school funding, investing a further £4.7 billion by the 2024-25 financial year for the core schools budget in England, over and above the Spending Review 2019 settlement for schools in 2022-23. This builds on the largest cash boost for schools in a decade provided at the Spending Review in 2019. This £4.7 billion includes a further £1.6 billion in the 2022-23 financial year, on top of the £2.4 billion increase over 2021-22 levels already announced as part of the 2019 spending round, meaning a year-on-year 5% real terms per pupil boost in 2022-23 financial year compared to 2021-22. This will rapidly give schools the resources they need to raise attainment, meet the cost of the Health and Social Care Levy, increase teacher pay and continue to rise to the challenges of COVID-19 response and recovery. Schools in Coventry North East are attracting £98.4 million in total this year, a 2.5% cash increase, through the schools national funding formula. This reflects an increase of 2.4% in pupil-led funding compared to the 2020-21 financial year. School leaders have the flexibility to make their own decisions on how to prioritise their spending to invest in a range of resources and activities that will best support their staff and pupils. In addition to the increase in core funding for schools, schools will receive a £1 billion recovery premium over the next two years to help those pupils most in need of support to catch up. This will help to deliver evidence-based approaches to support the most disadvantaged pupils, and means every school in England will have more money to support young people’s recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. This £1 billion comes on top of recovery interventions announced previously, including £1.5 billion investment in tutoring in schools and colleges, £400 million investment in expanding training opportunities in early years and schools settings, £950 million in flexible funding for schools, £200 million for summer schools, £17 million for early language support, and the opportunity for year 13 students to repeat their final year in the 2021-2022 academic year.

Ministry of Justice

Remand in Custody

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) women and (b) men have been placed in prisons for their own protection under the Bail Act 1976 in each of the last three years.

Victoria Atkins: Following a commitment from the Government earlier this year, we are reviewing the use of the power to remand for own protection. This work is ongoing.There is no centrally held data on the number of adults remanded in custody for their own protection and to obtain this information would exceed permitted costs.The court’s decision to remand an individual in custody for their own protection is used as a last resort and out of concern for the defendant, where circumstances are such that a defendant would come to harm if released into the community and there is no other suitable option available to the courts.

Ministry of Justice: Stonewall

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what funds have been paid by his Department to Stonewall in each of the last five years; and to what projects those funds were allocated.

James Cartlidge: In the period covering the last five financial years the MOJ has paid the following sums to Stonewall: 2016-17 Financial Year (HR Services) £354.00: MOJ conference attendance 2017-18 Financial Year (HR Services) £3,000.00: MOJ Stonewall Diversity Champions Membership£3,768.00: MOJ Role Models Cluster Programme£358.80: MOJ conference attendance 2018-19 Financial Year (HR Services) £3,000.00: MOJ Stonewall Diversity Champions Membership 2019-20 Financial Year £3,000.00: MOJ Stonewall Diversity Champions Membership£552.00: Office of the Public Guardian conference attendance 2020-21 Financial Year £3,000.00: Stonewall Diversity Champions Membership£837.60: Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service conference attendance Total departmental spend across the last five financial years totals £17,870.40 with costs inclusive of VAT.For financial years 2016-2017, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 the spend outlined only covers MoJ Headquarters HR Services (People Group).For the entire Ministry of Justice inclusive of its agencies 2019-20 and 2020-21 financial years this would include a spend search for MOJ HQ, National Offender Management Service, Office of the Public Guardian with a nil return for HMCTS, WLS, Independent Monitoring Authority, Probation Board, Legal Aid Agency, Judicial Appointments Committee, and Youth Justice Board. This does not include spend for Legal Services Board, Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, Legal Ombudsman, Criminal Cases Review Commission and Gov Facility Services Limited.Further information relating to spend from MoJ Agencies could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Department for International Trade

UK Export Finance: Legal Opinion

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will publish the full specification for the General Aerospace Legal Panel tender notice.

Mike Freer: The full specification, Invitation To Tender and terms and conditions of the General Aerospace Legal Panel have been published on the Contracts Finder notice.

Protective Clothing: Malaysia

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will publish the letter from British High Commissioner to Malaysia, Charles Hay MVO, to her Department of 17 June 2020 regarding labour concerns within Malaysia's glove industry.

Penny Mordaunt: The UK takes allegations of labour exploitation in supply chains extremely seriously. On 26 March 2020 we became the first country to publish a Government Modern Slavery Statement setting out the steps we have taken to prevent modern slavery and incentivise responsible business conduct in our supply chains. This Government is committed to ensuring that our trade policy is consistent with our international obligations. We are clear that more trade does not have to come at the expense of human rights. Advice from civil servants to ministers is not routinely published.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Human Rights and Religious Freedom

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what processes her Department has in place to ensure that freedom of religion or belief abuses are being monitored and taken into account as decisions are being made to sanction people responsible for human rights abuses.

Amanda Milling: The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. Promoting the right to FoRB is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities.The Global Human Rights (GHR) sanctions regime gives the UK a powerful tool to hold to account those involved in serious human rights violations or abuses around the world. All designation decisions must be taken in accordance with the designation criteria set out in the regulations. We have also published a policy note setting out factors that are likely to be relevant to whether a person may be designated under the GHR sanctions regime. We keep all evidence and potential designations under close review. We will consider targets, guided by the objectives of the sanctions regime and the evidence.

Malaysia: Conditions of Employment

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she had on workers' rights and forced labour during her November 2021 visit to Malaysia.

Amanda Milling: The UK takes the issue of forced labour very seriously. The British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur has been working with the Malaysian Government, manufacturers and industry bodies, civil society and the National Human Rights Commission to improve labour conditions and build capacity on social compliance auditing.During her visit to Malaysia on 8 November, the Foreign Secretary and her counterpart, Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin, agreed to launch a UK - Malaysia Strategic Dialogue. The Strategic Dialogue will look to enhance discussions with Malaysia on a broad range of bilateral issues including those related to trade and investment and human rights.

Palestinians: Non-governmental Organisations

Mr David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2021 to Question 62640 on Palestinians: Non-governmental Organisations, whether she has yet obtained additional information to understand the basis for the designations; what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the order referred to in that Question; and if she will make a statement.

James Cleverly: We are in contact with the Government of Israel to understand the basis of the designations. We have made clear that human rights and civil society organisations have a vital role to play in both Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including those focused on Israel's conduct in the Palestinian Territories. Israel's long-standing commitment to democratic values is one of its great strengths as a fellow democracy, and we continue to make clear that a strong, vibrant civil society is in Israel's own interest. As a friend of Israel, we are concerned by any developments that may undermine this commitment.

Developing Countries: Agriculture

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to support farming cooperatives in the global south to tackle the climate crisis in their communities.

Vicky Ford: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) supports farmers in low-income countries to adapt to the impacts of climate change through several programmes, funded either centrally or directly for priority posts across our network. For example, in Nepal and Malawi, the FCDO Commercial Agriculture for Smallholders and Agribusiness (CASA) programme facilitates market linkages between farmer organisations and suppliers who can provide climate-smart inputs for agriculture, to promote climate adaptation and agri-food sector development. Among central programmes, the UK-funded Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP) responds directly to the needs of farmers' organisations in the poorest and most vulnerable countries by providing funding and training to promote climate-smart agriculture practices and link farmers to markets. Building on the positive results of five pilot projects, a dedicated call for proposal is ongoing and in December 2021 approximately US$25 million will be allocated to the best 8-10 proposals from producer organisations in Africa and South Asia. GAFSP, through its private sector window, has also supported farmer organisations throughout the pandemic to ensure uninterrupted food supply chains and use innovative IT for aggregation and marketing.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Humanitarian Aid

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of population displacement and humanitarian need in the Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of Congo; and what support she is providing to humanitarian agencies working in that region.

Vicky Ford: Ituri is home to one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. Half its population suffer from acute food insecurity, the highest level in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (itself the world's largest food security crisis). Due to violent attacks by armed groups, more than 863,000 people have been displaced within Ituri in 2021, including 140,000 in just the past 3 months. Armed groups are also responsible for large numbers of civilian deaths, sexual violence, burning and looting of villages, attacks against health facilities, and for preventing people from farming their fields. Insecurity and attacks against humanitarian organisations are in turn affecting their ability to respond to the crisis.As one of the largest humanitarian donors, the UK has been providing life-saving support to tens of thousands of affected people in Ituri through our funding to UN, NGO and Red Cross partners. This support includes cash transfers, emergency water and sanitation, family tracing and reunification, and sensitising armed actors to their responsibilities under international humanitarian law. The UK is also assisting efforts to reduce violence and build stability in eastern DRC, including by supporting MONUSCO, the UN peacekeeping mission, and the DRC Government to demobilise armed groups and help local communities.

Pakistan: Religious Freedom

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions (a) she and (b) officials in her Department have had with the government of Pakistan on the protection of religious minorities in that country.

James Cleverly: The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities around the globe. Pakistan is one of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) human rights priority countries and protecting FoRB is an integral part of our engagement on human rights in Pakistan. The United Kingdom Government strongly condemns the persecution of all minorities, including the targeting of innocent people based on their beliefs.We continue to urge the Government of Pakistan at senior levels to guarantee the fundamental rights of all its citizens, regardless of their religion or belief. Most recently on 23 and 24 June during a visit to Pakistan, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia and the Minister responsible for human rights, raised the need to promote respect for all religions with Pakistan's Prime Minister, Imran Khan, as well as other senior government ministers including Foreign Minister Qureshi, and Human Rights Minister Mazari. During these meetings, Lord Ahmad highlighted the need to address persecution, promote respect for all religions and increase tolerance for religious minorities. He met minority communities during the visit to understand better their concerns, including a meeting with representatives of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, an interfaith roundtable and discussions with influential religious leaders.In addition, the UK works within the United Nations, The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Council of Europe, and the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance to promote and protect FoRB around the globe. On 20 December 2020, the Prime Minister reaffirmed his personal commitment to the issue by appointing Fiona Bruce MP as his Special Envoy for FoRB.

Ethiopia: Detainees

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of recent reports of the detention of UN staff in Ethiopia; and what representations she has made to the Ethiopian government as a result of such reports.

Vicky Ford: We are concerned by recent reports of the detention of several UN staff in Ethiopia. Expulsions and detention of key UN personnel will have a direct impact on the ability of the international community to deliver vital humanitarian assistance. On 30 September I [Minister Ford] called on the Government of Ethiopia to reverse the decision to expel UN officials from the country. Our concerns were reiterated at the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council on 4 October where a joint statement was issued by the UK Ambassador to the UN on behalf of over 40 countries. We also raised these concerns at the UN Security Council (UNSC) briefing on Ethiopia on 6 October. The British Ambassador to Ethiopia raised our concerns about ongoing detentions with President Sahle-Work of Ethiopia on 12 November. On 5 November the Foreign Secretary spoke to the Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen, setting out the pressing need for a ceasefire and a humanitarian access.

Guatemala: Human Rights

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help support and protect human rights defenders, including those defending environmental and land rights, in Guatemala.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help encourage and assist the government of Guatemala in ending the potential persecution and unwarranted criminal prosecution of environmental defenders in that country; and if she will make a statement.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether (a) she and (b) her officials have made representations to the government of Guatemala regarding the alleged misuse of criminal law and multiple due process failings in criminal proceedings against indigenous activists in Guatemala defending traditional lands and resources against large-scale commercial developments, including in the cases of (i) Bernardo Caal Xol from Santa María de Cahabón and (ii) Anabella España Reyes, Abelino Salvador Mejía, Flavio Vicente and Virgilio García Carrillo, from the municipality of Champerico.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether (a) she and (b) her officials have made representations to the government of Guatemala regarding reports by the Community Council of Retalhuleu, Guatemala, of droughts and water pollution in Retalhuleu resulting from the large-scale expansion of monocultural farming.

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the merger of multiple Governmental secretariats responsible for the protection and promotion of human rights in Guatemala into the Presidential Commission for Peace and Human Rights on the safety of human right defenders in that country; and whether (a) she and (b) her officials have raised concerns regarding that merger with their Guatemalan counterparts.

Wendy Morton: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office regularly raises the issue of human rights' defenders and land defenders in Guatemala via our Embassy in Guatemala City. We work in conjunction with other international partners, with the aim of promoting full respect for human rights for all Guatemalans. In April, the UK sanctioned an individual from Guatemala and two others from Central America as part of our efforts to tackle serious corruption, and uphold good governance, the rule of law, and open societies.The Embassy has persistently kept the issue of human rights on the agenda, including by recently hosting its fourth Business and Human Rights Week, which stresses the relevance of human rights to the business environment. The Embassy has also called on the Presidential Commission for Peace and Human Rights on several occasions, raising the issue of human rights' defenders, land defenders, media freedom, and progress on the Public Policy for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders in Guatemala. Officials from the Embassy virtually attended Bernardo Caal's hearing in May after visiting him in 2018. In January and February 2021, the British Embassy, together with Rainforest Alliance and the Forest National Institute of Guatemala, supported a project in La Blanca, Ocos, Retalhuleu to analyse how mangroves contribute to fighting climate change. In doing so, the British Embassy was able to raise awareness of droughts and water pollution affecting Retalhuleu.

Afghanistan: Religious Freedom

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to (a) help ensure freedom of religion or belief in Afghanistan and (b) protect Sikh, Hindu and other religious minorities in Afghanistan.

James Cleverly: We are deeply concerned about human rights in Afghanistan, including violence and discrimination towards religious minorities. Ethnic and religious minorities have long faced attacks and discrimination in Afghanistan and we are monitoring the situation closely. We have made human rights a central feature of all of our contact with the Taliban to date, including the visit to Kabul on 5 October by the Prime Minister's High Representative for Afghanistan Transition, Sir Simon Gass. We will continue to work closely with international partners to call for freedom of religion to be respected in Afghanistan. On 7 October, the UK co-sponsored a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution that created a Special Rapporteur mandate to monitor human rights in the country.

Nigeria: Foreign Relations

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when she last spoke to her Nigerian counterpart to discuss bilateral relations.

Vicky Ford: On 1 November I met with Nigeria's Foreign Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, in a formal bilateral meeting in the margins of the COP26 summit in Glasgow.

Central African Republic: Humanitarian Situation

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic; and what support she is providing to that country.

Vicky Ford: The ongoing violence in the Central African Republic continues to take a distressing toll on the civilian population, compounding an already acute humanitarian situation. The UN estimates that in 2022 3.1 million people, or 63% of the population will need humanitarian assistance. The UK continues to make a significant humanitarian contribution, in 2020/21 this was £21 million.The most important need continues to be security and the UK continues to work closely with international partners to support efforts to bring stability to the country. I spoke with President Touadéra on 1 November and underlined the UK's commitment to MINUSCA and the importance of an inclusive peace-building process. Last week the UK voted in support of renewing the mandate of the UN Multi-dimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) for a further 12 months and makes an annual assessed contribution to MINUSCA (approximately £40 million per year).

Sahel: Terrorism

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the cross border operations of extremist groups in the Sahel and West Africa; and what support her Department is providing to tackle the threat those groups pose.

Vicky Ford: The UK is deeply concerned about the security situation in the Sahel and parts of West Africa. In the Sahel, there were more deaths by violence in 2020 than in any previous year in the past decade. We condemn all attacks and are particularly concerned about reported human rights abuses and violations in the region, which exacerbate grievances and drive the cycle of violence. Through our deployment to the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali (MINUSMA), and our programmatic support for stabilisation and conflict resolution, the UK is committed to building long-term peace and stability in the Sahel. We have been pressing in the UN Security Council and in the region for renewed efforts to tackle impunity for human rights abuses and violations.In the Lake Chad Basin region, the UK Government is also supporting efforts to respond to the regional conflict with extremist groups. We are supporting regional stabilisation efforts, the regionally-led fight against these groups, and the demobilisation, de-radicalisation and reintegration of former members.Across the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin, we are using our humanitarian assistance to support those worst affected by conflict.

Iran: Detainees

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to secure the release of UK citizens arbitrarily detained in Iran.

James Cleverly: The Foreign Secretary continues to raise Iran's practice of detaining British dual nationals with her Iranian counterpart, most recently in a call with Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian on 8 November and Minister Cleverly raised this with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister, Bagheri Kani, on 11 November. Our Ambassador in Tehran continues to raise our detainees regularly with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We remain committed to doing all we can to ensure that British nationals being unfairly detained by Iran are released and allowed to return home to be reunited with their families.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking with the (a) Secretary of State for Defence and (b) Home Secretary to expedite the relocation of the 30 plus British Council contractors and their families who have previously been approved for relocation under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy but remain in Afghanistan.

James Cleverly: Providing support to those individuals eligible for Her Majesty's Government support, including the remaining Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy approved British Council contractors, remains a top priority and we have focused our efforts on this, including putting in additional resources. We have created a new Joint Afghanistan Casework Unit, staffed by officials from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Home Office and Ministry of Defence, which is taking forward the UK's commitment to resettle individuals and those family members confirmed to be eligible. We will continue to work to take advantage of all opportunities to help those eligible to come to the UK to leave Afghanistan.

Carpets: Imports

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make it her policy to review current restrictions on the export of carpets from countries currently facing such sanctions.

Amanda Milling: The import of carpets is not sanctioned under any UK sanctions regimes. However, asset freezes in place against designated persons would prohibit the payment for the import of a carpet if it is to, or for the benefit of, a designated person.We keep all regimes and designations under close review, as required by the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018.

Ukraine: Press Freedom

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department plans to take to support the independence of the press in Ukraine following the recent closure of the English language newspaper The Kyiv Post.

Wendy Morton: The FCDO is committed to supporting freedom of the media, and preserving media plurality, in Ukraine. We do this through targeted project interventions and advocating on media freedom issues in our political messaging, both in public and in private. We are currently providing support to the Ukrainian Public Broadcaster, working with BBC Media Action, and have previously funded projects assisting a number of independent media channels.The FCDO remains committed to the Global Media Freedom campaign launched in 2018. Through the UK's co-chairing of the Media Freedom Coalition we are working to improve media freedom domestically and internationally. We support, and encourage our European partners to support, the Global Media Defence Fund, managed by UNESCO, to which we have pledged £3 million over five years. The Fund has already supported over 1600 journalists globally, including in Ukraine.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Stonewall

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2021 to Question 67045 on Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Stonewall, if she will provide details of all funding from her Department to Stonewall  in each of the past five years with a breakdown of how much was allocated to each project; and what assessment she has made of the consistency of her Answer to Question 67045 and the funding from her Department recorded in Stonewall’s Trustees' Report And Financial Statements accounts.

Wendy Morton: As noted in the response provided on 8 November the FCDO works closely with a range of civil society organisations, including Stonewall, to defend the human rights of LGBT+ people around the world. Stonewall is a world leading organisation supporting for the protection and promotion of the human rights of LGBT+ people. The UK and Argentina currently co-chair the Equal Rights Coalition alongside Stonewall as one of three civil society co-chairs. The Equal Rights Coalition, an international grouping of 42 countries and over 120 civil society organisations committed to advancing LGBT+ rights around the world.The following is a detailed breakdown of funding provided to Stonewall since 2018. This is based on financial year reporting whereas Stonewall reports against calendar years accounting for differences. We acknowledge a discrepancy in the figure previously provided, which is due to technical complications caused by the legacy departments' different accounting systems.2021/22: £45,000Funding for Stonewall and Kaleidoscope Trust for their role as Equal Rights Coalition co-chair support: £80,000 (Stonewall funding £40,000)Diversity Champions Membership: £5,0002020/21: £549,190Project: Ending LBT Exclusion in the International Human Rights System: £209,999Project: Commonwealth Equality Project: £134,943Project: Defending the rights of LGBT people in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus: £199,834Funding for Equal Rights Coalition support: £70,000 (Stonewall funding £35,000)Diversity Champions Membership and training costs: £4,4142019/20: £201,375.55Project: Facilitating LBT Inclusion in the International Human Rights System: £161,892.55Funding for Equal Rights Coalition support: £30,000 (Stonewall funding £15,000)Diversity Champions Membership and staff training: £9,4832018/19: £143,457Project: Ending LBT Exclusion in the International Human Rights System: £111,638Project: Reducing LGBT Hate Crime: £15,426Project: Defending the rights of LGBT people in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Caucasus: £8,779Stonewall Leadership Programme: £7,614

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 November 2021 to Question 69688, whether the vaccine doses sent directly by AZ to UNICEF, were procured by and paid for by the Government; and how many of the 30.7 million surplus doses delivered to COVAX and UNICEF have been procured by and paid for by the Government.

Wendy Morton: All 30.7 million AZ doses have been procured by and paid for by the UK Government.

Travel: Cyprus

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of recognising Covid-19 Vaccine Certificates from Northern Cyprus from 22 November 2021.

Wendy Morton: People vaccinated in the north of Cyprus with access to the European Union Digital COVID Certificate (EUDCC) can use this to evidence their vaccine status. We understand that some people vaccinated in the north of Cyprus may not have access to a UK-accepted certificate and are looking at whether there are ways to address this.

Ministry of Defence

Army: Costs

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of the average cost to the British Army of employing an infantry soldier; and what estimate he has made of that cost in each year 2016-17 to 2020-21.

Leo Docherty: Average cost (Basic Pay/ Employer National Insurance/ Pension) of an Infantry soldier in the Other Ranks of the British Army:  Financial Year Ending31 Mar 201731 Mar 201831 Mar 201931 Mar 202031 Mar 2021Infantry (Other Ranks)£41,673.70£41,800.57£42,698.39£46,232.94£47,352.40Source: Defence Statistics (Cost-Modelling)  Notes/Caveats: The Average Cost in the table above represents Basic Pay/ Employer National Insurance/ Pension only and does not include other costs such as those associated with recruitment, training, clothing, stock consumption, infrastructure, or medical/dental care.The Basic Pay includes X-Factor payments.The Employer National Insurance would be 0% for some of the populations (I.e., general population under the age of 21 and apprentices under the age of 25).The Average Cost was determined using the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) data. The mean average across the Infantry soldiers was calculated using the mean average of every Infantry soldier’s pay records to create a monthly estimate, which was then multiplied by 12 to obtain a yearly estimate.The Financial Year for statistical purposes runs from 1 April to 31 March.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Correspondence

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time was for a substantive response to be sent following an enquiry being made to her Department's MP Account Management team in (a) 2018, (b) 2019, (c) 2020 and (d) 2021.

Guy Opperman: Information on the handling of correspondence from hon. Members and Peers by Government Departments and Agencies is published by the Cabinet Office. The most recent available information was published on 15 July 2021 and can be found athttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-on-responses-to-correspondence-from-mps-and-peers.

Poverty: Children

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the overall impact of the (a) Autumn Budget and (b) Spending Review 2021 on levels of child poverty.

David Rutley: While the government has not made an assessment of the SR 2021 or Autumn Budget directly on child poverty, it has made an assessment of the distributional impact of these decisions on UK households. This can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1028953/DA_Document_Autumn_Budget_2021_FINAL.pdf This shows that households in the poorest income deciles will, on average, gain the most as a percentage of net income in 2024-25 from decisions announced since the Spending Review in 2019. National Statistics on the number and percentage of children in low income are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication. Latest statistics for the number of children who are in low income, can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/households-below-average-income-for-financial-years-ending-1995-to-2020 in children-hbai-timeseries-1994-95-2019-20-tables. In 2019/20, the latest year for which data is available 100,000 fewer children were living in absolute low income, before housing costs, than in 2009/10. This Government is committed to supporting those on low incomes, including by spending over £111 billion on welfare support for people of working age in 2021/22. We know that children living in workless households are around six times more likely to be in absolute low income (before housing costs) than those where all adults work, which is why our comprehensive Plan for Jobs is helping people to boost their skills in order to gain employment or increase their hours.We recognise that some people may require extra support over the winter as we enter the final stages of recovery, which is why vulnerable households across the country will now be able to access a new £500 million support fund to help them with the cost of essentials. In England at least 50% of the £421m Household Support Fund will be used to support families with children. The Barnett Formula will apply in the usual way, with the devolved administrations receiving almost £80 million (£41m for the Scottish Government, £25m for the Welsh Government and £14m for the NI Executive), for a total of £500 million.

Social Security Benefits

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to support benefit claimants in meeting increased living costs.

David Rutley: This Government is wholly committed to supporting those on low incomes, and continue to do so through many measures, including by spending over £111 billion on welfare support for people of working age in 2021/22. With the success of the vaccine rollout and record job vacancies, our focus now is on continuing to support people into and to progress in work. Our multi-billion-pound Plan for Jobs, which has recently been expanded by £500 million, will help people across the UK to find work and to boost their wages and prospects. Universal Credit recipients in work will soon benefit from a reduction in the Universal Credit taper rate from 63% to 55%, and increasing the work allowance by £504 per year means that 1.9m working households will be able to keep substantially more of what they earn. These measures effectively represent a tax cut, worth around £2.2bn a year in 2022-23, for the lowest paid in society, and are combined with a rise in the National Living Wage to £9.50 per hour. We recognise that some people may require extra support over the winter as we enter the final stages of recovery, which is why vulnerable households across the country will now be able to access a new £500 million support fund to help them with essentials. The Household Support Fund will provide £421 million to help vulnerable people in England with the cost of food, utilities and wider essentials. The Barnett Formula will apply in the usual way, with the devolved administrations receiving almost £80 million (£41m for the Scottish Government, £25m for the Welsh Government and £14m for the NI Executive), for a total of £500 million.

Social Security Benefits: Rents

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he make an assessment of the potential merits of allocating the payment of rent arrears directly from benefits.

David Rutley: Landlords can apply for rent arrears to be deducted from Universal Credit. Rent arrears deductions can only be made when certain criteria are met – the claimant must receive the housing element of Universal Credit or housing benefit, the amount of arrears accrued must be equal to the amount of two months’ rent, and it must relate to the property where the claimant currently resides. Rent arrears have a minimum deduction rate each month of 10 per cent of the claimant’s Universal Credit standard allowance and a maximum deduction rate of up to 20 per cent per month.

Universal Credit

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of Universal Credit deductions on the risk of poverty among benefit claimants.

David Rutley: No recent assessment has been made of the potential impact of Universal Credit deductions on the risk of poverty among benefit claimants. To enable households to retain more of their Universal Credit award towards day to day living costs we have reduced the normal maximum amount that can be deducted from Universal Credit, from 40% of the Universal Credit Standard Allowance, to 30% and from April 2021 to 25%. As a result, there were 792,000 people in May 2021 who potentially have had reduced deductions due to the most recent policy change. Customers can also contact DWP Debt Management if they are experiencing financial hardship to discuss a reduction in their rate of repayment of benefit overpayments, or a temporary suspension, depending on financial circumstances.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the report published by Z2K in June 2018, entitled Access Denied: Barriers to Justice in the Disability Benefits, on access to disability payments, including ESA and PIP.

Chloe Smith: DWP’s aim is to make the right decision as early as possible in the claim journey – and it is the case today as it was back in 2018 that the majority of decisions made are correct. In January 2019 we introduced a new approach to decision making at the Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) stage, giving Decision Makers additional time to proactively contact customers if they thought that additional evidence may support the application. This holistic approach was recommended by Z2K in its report. Since we introduced this new, more proactive approach, the percentage of decisions that we change at the Mandatory Reconsideration stage has increased, reducing the volume of claimants going to appeal.

State Retirement Pensions

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her timetable is for clearing the backlog of new State Pension claims where applicants have submitted all necessary documentation.

Guy Opperman: All outstanding claims have been cleared subject to receipt of any necessary documentation within usual operating procedures.

Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to her Answer of 3 November 2021 to Question 904085, whether arrangements are in place to ensure that EU citizens who are in receipt of benefits when they apply to the EU settlement scheme do not have their benefits withdrawn on the grounds of their immigration status during the processing of their application.

David Rutley: As of 1st July 2021, EU, EEA and Swiss citizens are required to have a valid immigration status or a validated application to the EU Settlement Scheme to access non-contributory benefits. However, benefit payments for existing EU, EEA and Swiss claimants without status did not stop automatically on 1st July 2021. DWP has taken a pragmatic approach and, before initiating compliance action, has encouraged these claimants to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme via letters, SMS text messages, messages through the Universal Credit journal, telephone calls face to face appointments and home visits. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens who are currently in receipt of benefits and have applied to the EU Settlement Scheme, will continue receiving payments until their application has been determined.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Water Supply

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) adequacy of the supply of water to households and businesses and (b) ability to drain surface water in the future.

Rebecca Pow: a)Water companies have a statutory duty to provide clean and reliable water to customers under the Water Industry Act 1991. Statutory water resources management plans show how water companies will meet this duty and manage water supply and demand for at least the next 25 years. These plans are revised every five years and will be consulted on in 2022. The Government is working closely with water regulators and the water industry to improve the resilience of water supplies. The Government recognises that continued action is required and it is committed to reducing demand for water and increasing supply in parallel. b)Through the Environment Act, the Government will make statutory the requirement for sewerage undertakers to develop and publish a drainage and sewerage management plan to assess fully their network capacity, infrastructure needs and impact of their activities on the environment. This planning process will help sewerage companies to assess network capacity and work with local authorities and other bodies who are responsible for parts of the drainage system. The Government is reviewing the implementation of Schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 in England. Schedule 3 was designed to set ministerial standards for the construction of sustainable drainage systems on new developments.

Dogs: Electronic Training Aids

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the proposals made by Action Plan for Animal Welfare, published 12 May 2021 on banning e-collars on reactive dogs.

Jo Churchill: One of the key reforms in the Action Plan for Animal Welfare is to ban hand-held remote-controlled electronic training collars (“e-collars”), given their scope to harm the welfare of dogs, including those deemed reactive. We continue to work closely with the animal welfare sector, enforcement agencies and Governments across the four nations on this ban. Concerns that e-collars can cause long-term harm have been raised by a number of trainers, behaviourists, the animal welfare sector and dog-keeping organisations. In light of these concerns, Defra undertook research studies AW1402 and AW1402a. The resultant peer-reviewed report on this research, carried out between 2007 and 2010, was robust and showed that many users of the hand-held devices were not using them properly in compliance with the manufacturers’ instructions, thereby having a negative impact on the welfare of some dogs. As well as being misused to inflict unnecessary harm, there was also concern that e-collars can redirect aggression or generate anxiety-based behaviour in pets, making underlying behavioural and health problems worse. Data from the research were published separately in two different reputable scientific journals, which required additional independent peer review exercises involving scrutiny from experts in the same field prior to publication. This gives the Government further confidence that the results are robust. We have listened carefully to a range of views from pet owners and respondents, as well as consulting key stakeholders including animal welfare charities, e-collar manufacturers, and trainers who use e-collars. Defra ran a public consultation in 2018 on the proposed ban on e-collars for cats and dogs in England. A summary of the responses received can be found here; Animal welfare: banning the use of electronic training collars for cats and dogs - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Training dogs is important to help them learn to behave appropriately and to make it easier to keep them under control. It can also help strengthen the relationship you have with them. Defra supports reward-based training, which includes the use of things that dogs value (e.g. toys, food and praise), is enjoyable for dogs and is widely regarded as the preferred form of training dogs. It is important to seek professional advice to identify/discuss any behaviour problems and the best training options for a dog. An incorrect training regime can have negative effects on a dog’s welfare. The legislation needed to ban remote controlled electronic training collars will be laid before Parliament as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Fly-tipping

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the cost of fly-tipping to local authorities in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) financial and (b) other steps his Department is taking to help (i) tackle fly-tipping and (ii) prosecute the perpetrators of fly-tipping.

Jo Churchill: Defra publishes fly-tipping statistics for England annually at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england Data for the 2020/21 period will be published in early December. We last published an estimated total cost of clearing fly-tipping to local authorities in England in 2016/17 at £57.7 million.Defra is working to develop a fly-tipping toolkit to support local councils following extra research we have commissioned. We expect to publish the first element on ‘Presenting robust cases to court’ early next year. Fly-tipping is a menace we are determined to clamp down on, not only with the new toolkit, but with measures such as electronic waste tracking and strengthening to our waste brokers, carriers and dealers licensing, as well as strengthened powers in the Environment Act to detect and prosecute waste criminals.

Polar Bears

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many licences he has issued for the import of hunting trophies of polar bears in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021.

Rebecca Pow: No licences have been issued for the import of hunting trophies of polar bears in 2019, 2020 or 2021.

Crops

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of cost pressures on the English fruit and vegetable sector.

Victoria Prentis: Together with the devolved administrations, Defra has established the UK Agricultural Market Monitoring Group (UKAMMG) to monitor and assess the impact of agricultural market developments across the UK, including on cost pressures on the fruit and vegetable sector. The UKAMMG monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, trade and recent developments, enabling it to provide forewarning of any atypical market movements. This includes discussions on input costs such as fertilisers. The UKAMMG will flag where further investigation of market developments is required and when policy teams and Ministers should be informed of any developments. The notes of these meetings are available on gov.uk.

Home Office

Refugees: Afghanistan

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how can Afghan nationals who have settled in the UK under the (a) Ex-Gratia Scheme and (b) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme apply for relocation of additional family members as a result of the level of security threat faced by those family members in Afghanistan.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office is continuing to work with the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to relocate those who are eligible under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). Those eligible can bring their close family members (one spouse/partner and under 18 children) to the UK, and additional family members on an exceptional basis.We encourage individuals already resettled in the UK who have eligible family members still in Afghanistan to visit gov.uk to check for the latest information about the ARAP (Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy: further information on eligibility criteria and offer details - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)) and the forthcoming Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (Afghan citizens’ resettlement scheme - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Members: Correspondence

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to reply to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Angus of 26 August 2021 regarding support for individuals in Afghanistan and the Afghan Citizens' Resettlement Scheme, reference DD4417LC.

Victoria Atkins: Given the very difficult circumstances in Afghanistan, we cannot pursue cases concerning Afghan people in country in the usual ways. The Home Office logged all the cases but will not be providing individual replies.Instead, please signpost individuals to gov.uk to check for the latest information about Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy: further information on eligibility criteria and offer details - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) (Afghan citizens’ resettlement scheme - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)).

Asylum: LGBT People

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applicants claiming asylum on the basis of LGBT+ status were (a)  accepted, (b) rejected, (c) detained and (d) deported in each of the last five years.

Kevin Foster: Regarding part (a) and (b) of the question, the Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’.Data on asylum claims where sexual orientation formed part of the basis for the claim are published in tables SOC00 – SOC04 of the ‘LGB asylum data tables’. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to 2020. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’. Please note, these statistics are experimental and should be interpreted with caution. Further information can be found in the asylum claims on the basis of sexual orientation topic.Regarding part (c) and (d) of the question, the basis of an asylum claim is not routinely recorded in relation to detention or returns and the information sought could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Visas: EU Nationals

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether biometric cards issued before 30 June 2020 are valid to allow people with an EU Settlement Scheme spousal visa to enter the UK.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what advice her Department has issued to people with an EU Settlement Scheme spousal visa on whether they need to update their biometric cards to be allowed entry into the UK.

Kevin Foster: All unexpired biometric residence cards held by any non-EEA nationals with pre settled or settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, are valid for travel to and entry into the UK when presented with a valid passport.Individuals issued with cards which have expired can apply to replace them free of charge.Visa nationals who travel outside the UK will need a document, such as an unexpired biometric residence card, for travel purposes before returning to the UK.Individuals will not be required to prove they hold pre settled or settled status at the UK border. However, anyone who has been issued with a biometric residence card should present it if they are required to see a Border Force Officer in order to avoid delays.

Asylum: Applications

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to efficiently provide conclusions to asylum cases in response to submissions of further evidence.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has taken several measures to increase decision outputs and reduce decision waiting times for Asylum Further Submissions.This includes increasing the number of decision makers, with significant further recruitment planned, improvements to training and streamlining of processes, including digitalisation and development of an enhanced electronic casework system.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle delays to applications for the EU Settlement Scheme.

Kevin Foster: Our aim is to process all applications to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) as quickly as possible.We currently have 1,500 UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) European Casework staff in post. We are committed to ensuring our operational teams have the resources they need to run an efficient and effective system, and we actively monitor workflows to ensure sufficient resources are in place to meet demand. Each individual case is considered on its own facts, which means some cases will inevitably take longer than others to conclude. Cases may take longer dependent if, for example, the applicant is facing an impending prosecution or has a criminal record.The following link lists the expected processing times for EU Settlement Scheme applications, based upon current performance:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eu-settlement-scheme-application-processing-times/eu-settlement-scheme-pilot-current-expected-processing-times-for-applicationsThe rights of those EU citizens and their family members who were lawfully resident at the end of the transition period and who, from 1 July 2021, have a pending application under the EUSS made by the deadline, or an appeal against the refusal of an application submitted by then, will be protected until their application is finally determined.

Home Office: Correspondence

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting time was for a substantive response to be sent following an enquiry being made to her Department's MP Account Management team in (a) 2018, (b) 2019, (c) 2020 and (d) 2021.

Tom Pursglove: Data about intake and performance in answering MP Correspondence are published quarterly with the latest quarter available at: Customer service operations data: Q2 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and this includes data up to and including the end of quarter 2 - 2021. We are proposing the release of data for quarter 3 in due course.We do not publish average waiting times for substantive responses to correspondence

Nationality and Borders Bill

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which clauses of the Nationality and Borders Bill she plans to seek legislative consent for from devolved legislatures.

Tom Pursglove: The Nationality and Borders Bill, which is part of our New Plan for Immigration, seeks to build a fair, but firm asylum and illegal migration system.The measures in the Nationality and Borders Bill relate to matters that are reserved to the UK Parliament, and so we will not be seeking a Legislative Consent Motion on these.

Nationality and Borders Bill

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to publish the full results of her Department’s public consultation on the Nationality and Borders Bill.

Tom Pursglove: The New Plan for Immigration was open to people and organisations across the UK to share their views. The Government has published its findings, which can be found on the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/new-plan-for-immigration.

Offensive Weapons

Dame Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing legislative proposals to include butter knives in the exemptions in the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) (Exemption) Order 1996.

Kit Malthouse: Tackling knife crime is a priority and the Government is determined to crack down on the scourge of violence devastating our communities.Section 141A of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 created the offence of selling any knife, knife blade, razor blade, axe or any other article which has a blade or which is sharply pointed and which is made or adapted for use for causing injury to the person, to a person under the age of 18. In Scotland, the word ‘axe’ has been added to this list of prohibited items. Originally the age limit was 16 and this was raised to 18 by the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006

Stop and Search

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason her Department has not yet published statistics on the use of stop and search powers in 2020-21.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish a timetable for her Department's publication of the statistics on the use of stop and search powers in 2020-21.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the 2021-21 statistics on the use of stop and search powers will be published before the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill returns to the House.

Kit Malthouse: On Monday 25 October the Home Office took the decision to delay the publication of the annual ‘Police powers and procedures: Stop and search and arrests, England and Wales year ending 31 March 2021’ statistical bulletin. This decision was made to allow the Home Office extra time to quality assure new, more granular data on individual stop and search records.This decision was made in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics and announced at the earliest possible point on GOV.UK. The announcement can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/police-powers-and-procedures-stop-and-search-and-arrests-england-and-wales-year-ending-31-march-2021As set out in the announcement, the statistical bulletin will now be published on 18th November 2021 at 9:30am and will be available here: Police powers and procedures England and Wales statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Migrant Workers: Employment

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting time was for the completion of an Employer Checking Service check in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021.

Kevin Foster: The information is not available in the format requested and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Asylum: Employment

David Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the potential effect on the economy of granting asylum seekers the right to work.

Kevin Foster: We allow asylum seekers to work if their claim has been outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own. Those permitted to work are restricted to jobs on the Shortage Occupation List (SOL).A review of the policy is ongoing.

Asylum: Translation Services

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to make sure each individual applying for asylum in the UK has access to adequate translation services to support (a) their application and (b) communications with her Department.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office Interpreter Language Services Unit (ILSU) delivers interpreting and translation services for most immigration customers. ILSU manages a database of 1,759 freelance interpreters as well as a commercial contract with TheBigWord for interpreting and documents translating. ILSU provides interpreters for 191 languages, including dialects. ILSU arranges appointments, manages invoices and payments and has a quality assurance role to ensure reliability and to ensure the level of interpretation and translation is consistently high. ILSU works with other commercial providers and public sector bodies which provide interpreters and linguists (as well as the National Register of Public Service Interpreters) to ensure the best sector-wide standards are applied. As with other Home Office contracts, ILSU works with commercial specialists to ensure contracted service are cost effective, and delivered to a high standard, with in-built quality measures. These contracts are reviewed annually. ILSU operates tight quality control processes on interview appointments both internally and externally, whether face-to-face or by video. These measures include close management of interpreters through a dedicated team (recruitment, security, training and qualifications), virtual interviewing enablement training and mentoring, mandatory interviewer feedback forms, frequent dip surveys, and risk analysis and checking.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Housing: Construction

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of the number of new homes built in each of the last five years that were fitted with (a) gas boilers, (b) heat pumps and (c) other forms of low carbon heating.

Eddie Hughes: Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) data is regularly published on Open Data Communities, and this includes data on the type of heating installed, including for new builds. The latest ONS data release on energy efficiency of housing in England and Wales 2021 also provides some information on this topic and can be found here.The Government remains committed to meeting its target of net zero emissions by 2050 and recognises the important contribution that the way we heat our homes has to meeting it. We will need to move away from fossil fuel heating in order to meet our commitment.Later this year we will introduce an interim uplift in building standards that delivers a meaningful reduction in carbon emissions and provide a stepping stone to the Future Homes Standard in 2025. Once the uplift comes into force, new homes will be expected to produce 31% less CO2 emissions compared to current standards. This will deliver high-quality homes that are in line with our broader housing commitments and encourage homes that are future-proofed for the longer-term.

Sleeping Rough

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the long term savings as a result of the Everyone In policy.

Eddie Hughes: We know that moving people away from the streets, and preventing rough sleeping in the first instance benefits people's lives and saves public money in the long-term. By the end of January 2021, over 37,000 people have been helped, including over 26,000 helped into longer-term accommodation.

British National (Overseas): Hong Kong

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, which Minister in his Department is responsible for the Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) welcome programme.

Kemi Badenoch: Lord Greenhalgh is responsible for the Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) Welcome Programme.

Cabinet Office

Veterans: Housing

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to support veterans with housing needs.

Leo Docherty: This year, we have committed £750 million to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping - aiming to end rough sleeping within the parliament. I am committed to providing veterans with a gold standard of support; that means services that are easily accessed and which meet veterans needs. We have already taken steps to improve veterans access to social housing, removing the local connection requirement and giving vulnerable veterans priority access, and I look forward to announcing further steps later this year when I publish the Veterans Strategy Action Plan.

Coronavirus: Public Inquiries

Nick Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent progress his Department has made on (a) appointing a chair and (b) defining the terms of reference for the public inquiry into the Government's response to the covid-19 pandemic.

Bill Esterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress has been made on appointing a Chair of the public inquiry into the Government’s handling of the covid-19 outbreak.

Michael Ellis: On 12 May, the Prime Minister confirmed that a public inquiry into COVID-19 will be established on a statutory basis, with full formal powers, and that it will begin its work in spring 2022. The independent chair of the inquiry will be appointed by the end of this year. Further details, including on the terms of reference, will be set out in due course.

Treasury

Treasury: Staff

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October to Question 61147, by what date in 2022 the Treasury will have completed the implementation of smarter working.

Helen Whately: The work HMT is undertaking to embed new ways of working adopting smarter working principles is currently scheduled to complete at the end of Q1 in FY21/22.

Treasury: Staff

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2021 to Question 61147 on Treasury: Staff, what information he (a) has collected, (b) is collecting and (c) plans to collect in order to (i) establish a baseline against which the implementation of smarter working by 2022 may be measured, (ii) track the progress of that implementation and (iii) evaluate the effectiveness of that implementation.

Helen Whately: HMT started work to adopt smarter working practices pre-pandemic, and to establish a baseline, underwent an initial smarter working assessment by the Government Property Agency (GPA) in February 2020. Following this assessment which assessed HMT as a ‘new’ adopter of smarter working practices, work to adopt new ways of working has continued, adapting leadership, culture, technology, workplace and process to enable the adoption of smarter working practices. A further smarter working assessment by the GPA to measure progress is planned to take place in February 2022. The current project to embed new ways of working scheduled to complete in at the end of Q1 in FY21/22 with re-assessment planned at the end of the programme.

Treasury: Staff

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many jobs his Department has moved from his Department's premises in central London to Treasury North in Darlington as of 3 November 2021.

Helen Whately: There will be at least 750 roles based at the Darlington economic campus, with the Treasury expecting to provide up to 300 of these. The Treasury’s workforce in Darlington will be made up of existing staff who voluntarily relocate from London in their existing roles and people who are recruited directly to the campus. The campus is now operational and we are continuing to work at pace to develop it as quickly as possible. The expression of interest process remains open for existing Treasury staff who wish to move, and relocations are taking place on a gradual basis. Almost all Treasury roles are advertised as available in Darlington, and we have recently run a series of recruitment campaigns exclusively for Darlington based Treasury roles. We will publish details of relocations and recruitment in HMT’s 21/22 annual report and accounts.

Alcoholic Drinks: Excise Duties

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure that the savings induced by his reforms to alcohol duty will be passed to consumers.

Helen Whately: These are commercial matters between vendors and their suppliers.

Central Bank Digital Currencies

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy that any central bank digital currency will not be used to direct, control or hold under surveillance the spending of holders of such currency by ensuring that the currency is not programmable.

John Glen: The Government and the Bank of England have not yet made a decision on whether to introduce a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in the UK, and will engage widely with stakeholders on the benefits, risks and practicalities of doing so. Maintaining user safety and privacy is an utmost priority as the Government and the Bank appraises the case for a CBDC in the UK. The Government’s commitment to ensuring any CBDCs operate within appropriate privacy frameworks was set out in the G7’s public policy principles for CBDC, as part of the UK’s G7 Presidency.  These principles set out rigorous standards of privacy, accountability for the protection of users’ data, and transparency on how information will be secured and used is essential for any CBDC to command trust and confidence. Earlier this month, the Government committed to public consultation with the Bank of England in 2022 setting out an assessment of the case for a UK CBDC, including the merits of further work to develop an operational and technology model for a UK CBDC.

Budgets: Disclosure of Information

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2021 to Question 67134 on Budgets: Disclosure of Information, with what regularity all staff are reminded of the security and integrity of the Budget and the Spending review process; by what means such a message is made; when such a message was most recently made to all staff ahead of the October 2021 budget; whether such messages are made in writing; and if he will publish a sample of such a message, along with details of the persons to whom it was addressed and by whom it was sent.

Mr Simon Clarke: The security and integrity of the Budget and Spending Review process is of the utmost importance to the Treasury and is reiterated regularly to all staff.

Off-payroll Working: Reform

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his planned timetable is for the (a) completion and (b) publication of the independent research commissioned by the Government into the short-term impacts of the April 2021 reform of the off-payroll working rules.

Lucy Frazer: HMRC has commissioned external research into the short-term effects of the April 2021 off-payroll working rules reform in the private and voluntary sectors, and fieldwork for this research started in October. The research is expected to be completed in spring 2022 and will be published in due course once complete.

Gold and Foreign Exchange Reserves

Liam Byrne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the context of the termination of the 12 year programme to increase assets in the Exchange Equalisation Account, whether the financing provided via the National Loans Fund increased Net Public Sector Debt in the year funds were transferred.

John Glen: The additional financing programme of the Official Reserves, which ended in 2019-20, increased both the government’s liquid assets and its liabilities from gilt issuance equally at the point of issuance. Therefore, it had no net impact on public sector net debt.

Gold and Foreign Exchange Reserves

Liam Byrne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of a transfer of excess reserves from the Exchange Equalisation Account to the National Loans Fund on public sector debt.

John Glen: The Government considers the current size of the reserves to be appropriate for meeting the objectives outlined in the Exchange Equalisation Account (EEA) Act 1979. Therefore, there has been no assessment made of the potential effect of a transfer of so-called excess reserves from the EEA to the National Loans Fund on public sector debt.

Gold and Foreign Exchange Reserves

Liam Byrne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of whether the assets of the Exchange Equalisation Account are in excess of what is required after the issue of IMF Special Drawing Rights in 2021.

John Glen: The reserves have a clearly defined function as set out in the Exchange Equalisation Account (EEA) Act 1979. The purpose of the reserves includes managing undue fluctuations in the exchange rate, providing foreign exchange services for government departments and to meet the UK’s financial commitment to the IMF. The reserves are available to be able to meet any potential calls as set out in the legislation and are held on a precautionary basis in the event of any unexpected shocks. The government considers the current size of the reserves to be appropriate for meeting the above objectives.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Personal Records: Armed Forces

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which of the collations of service records maintained by the National Archives covers personnel from (a) officer ranks and (b) other ranks from the Caribbean Regiment serving in the British Army at the end of the Second World War.

Julia Lopez: The Ministry of Defence is transferring historic service personnel records to The National Archives over a 6-year period. The majority of military service personnel records transferred to The National Archives to date cover a period before the creation of the Caribbean Regiment in 1944 although collation 11005 does include earlier records of service personnel from the Caribbean who served in the British Army, including between the First and Second World Wars.